Renewing his appeal for Turkey and Syria earthquake victims, Francis also turned his attention to New Zealand.

"I am close to the people of New Zealand, who have been hit in recent days by a devastating cyclone.

"Brothers and sisters, let us not forget those who suffer and let our charity be attentive, let it be a concrete charity!"

He made the comments during his Angelus message at the Vatican on Sunday.

Francis' proximity to the people of New Zealand was followed up in a news story in Vatican News.

Grateful to hear of Pope Francis' closeness, the Catholic parish of Napier Parish Priest, Fr Barry Scannell SM acknowledges the devastation and serious impact on the lives of many.

Scannell told CathNews that understandably while numbers at Sunday Mass were down this week, those who were able to attend were very mindful of the loss of life, those missing and the suffering of many.

"Cyclone Gabrielle will put a huge strain on the community and take a long time to recover," he told CathNews.

He said he was grateful for his trusty old transistor radio, but it was not until he could see the pictures and get back into the community to visit people, that Cyclone Gabrielle's devastation became very real.

Scannell said that washed-out bridges and roads in and out of Napier, and initially no electricity, mobile phone or internet communication, isolated people from family and elsewhere in the country and around the world.

He said the isolation proved challenging both for those in Napier and loved ones elsewhere and while most now have phone connectivity, not everyone has such a basic need as electricity.

Scannell says generally everyone is pitching in, everyone is helping each other.

Further up the east coast, Wairoa Parish Priest Rob Devlin SM says senior priest Pa Karaitiana Kingi SM needed help to evacuate his home.

The parish priest says he is being well cared for, but Kingi's home is now ‘red stickered', and his car is full of silt.

Devlin told CathNews that the devastation seriously impacted the low-lying areas of the town; around twenty per cent of the town, including the Tawhiti-a-Mau Marae, which is about a metre deep in water and mud.

St Therese Church at the marae also has significant water damage.

CathNews was unable to speak to anyone from the parish of Hastings.

Cyclone Gabrielle

Head of MetService New Zealand Weather Communications Lisa Murray gave a summary of the storm in a statement on 19 February.

Between 12 and 14 February, parts of New Zealand recorded rainfall amounts of 300-400mm, wind gusts of 130-140km/h and waves as high as 11 metres along some coasts.

"Gabrielle is one of the worst storms to hit Aotearoa New Zealand in living history" said Murray.

The death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle has risen to 11 but police have indicated the toll accounts only for the bodies that have been identified.

More than 6000 people had been reported as non-contactable; however, this contained many double-ups said Eastern District police commander Jeanette Park.

On Monday, the New Zealand Government extended the national state of emergency by 7 days and established a cyclone recovery task force.

The task force's head is Sir Brian Roche and Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, is the new Cyclone Recovery Minister.

Sources

• Supplied
• Vatican News
• Supplied
• Floodlist
• Stuff

Napier was one of a number of strong public critics and at a press conference on October 14 said the initial Synod document's message of openness to modern society had conveyed an incorrect message.

"The message has gone out: This is what the synod is saying, this is what the Catholic church is saying.

"The message has gone out and it's not a true message", Napier said.

"Whatever we say hereafter is going to be as if we're doing some damage control".

Napier will serve as one of four delegate presidents of the 2015 synod, alongside French Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Philippines Cardinal Luis Tagle, and Brazilian Cardinal Raymundo Assis.

Pope Francis, Friday, also re-appointed two other key officials from the 2014 synod to serve again in 2015: Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő will again serve as the synod secretary; and Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte will again serve as its special secretary.

The Vatican, in a statement on Friday also said bishops' conferences around the world will shortly receive the preparatory documents for the 2015 Synod.

Due for distribution at the beginning of December, Friday's statement does not hint at the form the working document.

The preparatory document for the 2014 Synod made headlines because it contained a wide-ranging questionnaire.

Sources

• NCR
• NCR
• Fox News
• Image: BBC

Parishioners watched in shock as he collapsed at the altar during mass, moments after baptising a baby.

A doctor and nurses in the church rushed to help but he died by the altar of the church where he had served for 34 years.

Originally from Ireland, he emigrated to New Zealand in 1956. He worked as a priest in Wellington, Levin, Palmerston North and Ohura before moving to Napier to become parish priest at St Patrick's in 1979.

In the 1970s he and Bishop Peter Cullinane spent time working together at the Diocesan Pastoral Centre.

"He was a bright person who spread his brightness everywhere he went", Cullinane said of Hannigan

"He was a big-minded man with a big heart - a man among his people and an inspiration to us all."

For some time he was the he was Vicar General of the diocese. When Cullinane was out of the country, Hannigan, working in Napier, took care of the Diocese.

Cullinane said that when he came back home, Hannigan always had a few stories for him.

"He had that Irish story-telling rhetoric. It didn't matter to him if it was slightly embellished."

"His life was littered with stories and some of them actually happened."

Hannigan was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000 for services to the community, including his work with the sick and elderly.

Hannigan's funeral will take place today, Friday 3 May at noon in St Patrick's Church. Former St Patrick's parish priest, Paul Kerridge said brother and sister and two nieces will arrive for the funeral, which will be held at

Kerridge said people would be coming from all over the country and the diocese had considered staging it at a larger venue.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Hawkes Bay Today
• Manawatu Standard
• Image: Hawkes Bay Today

Five candidates, Chris Tremain (National), Stuart Nash (Labour), Paul Bailey (Greens), Na Raihania (Maori Party) and Robert Burnside (ACT) will be attending the meet the candidates gathering which has been organised by Inner City Churches and set to be staged at St Paul's Church in Tennyson St at 3.30pm.